


Home is Where the Heart Is

by darktensh17



Series: Home is Where the Heart Is [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Babies, F/M, Family, M/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-16
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2017-12-12 01:41:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/805661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darktensh17/pseuds/darktensh17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern Day AU. Anders and Fenris are a happily married couple but they decide it's time to fill the missing part of their lives with children of their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the chapters for this will be pulled from 'Imagining Fenders' with some edits. I've been saying I was going to write a modern day AU with my little Fenders family for awhile and the kink meme has given me an excuse to do so lol.
> 
> The first part is just a short intro to get things set up.

It did not start off as a typical romance. At first it didn’t start off as anything at all except indifference. They had met in college through Garrett Hawke, a mutual friend. In the beginning they didn’t see each other often at all and neither really paid attention to the other either. Eventually though as Garrett collected a closer group of friends and started inviting said group to outings, parties, dinners, and just any reason he could think up; they came in contact more and more.

The first time they ever really sat and conversed the indifference went away immediately. Instead there was dislike which became hatred. Their opinions differed on everything from the treatment of elves to how the government was running the city. They had nothing at all in common.

After college Anders went away to work with Doctor’s Without Borders and Fenris who had gone to college for journalism had ended up buying a small vineyard and taken up wine making. He had not given up his dream of being a journalist however, and submitted articles regularly to the local newspaper.

It was five years before they would meet up again and they had both changed by then. During those five years they had changed greatly and when they met up again, once again through Garrett who had remained friends with both of them, they had hit it off.

They began to date and slowly fell in love, within a year they were engaged to be married and by the second year they were happily wed and living together in Fenris’ home outside the city. Anders had taken a position in the paediatric wing of the local hospital. While he had done a little bit of everything during his five years with Doctor’s Without Borders, his degree was in paediatrics because of his love of children.

Four years later they were happy as could be.


	2. Chapter 2

“Anders I want a baby.” 

They are sitting having breakfast on the patio, it’s early May and the weather has warmed up beautifully even with the late winter they had. The sun was shinning brightly in the sky and the birds were serenading them with their morning songs. Fenris had made them blueberry French toast and had even brewed some of the specialty coffee he and Ander loved so much and had to import from France. 

When Anders had first smelt the coffee brewing he knew that something was up, he had not expected this.

“A baby Fenris? I didn’t even know you liked kids.” To be fair Anders had never really seen Fenris around kids, other than when he came to visit Anders at the hospital. It’s just that they had never discussed children before, not that Anders didn’t want children himself.

Fenris stuck his nose up slightly at that, something he tended to do when he was mildly annoyed. “I like children very much. If you ever paid attention you would notice that when I visit you at the hospital I will read with them and speak to them.” 

Anders was quiet for a few minutes as he took that in. There were both in their early thirties, both had successful careers and they certainly wouldn’t need to worry about money. Fenris worked from home so there would be someone to watch a baby, and Anders definitely knew a lot about babies and children, especially their health.

“We need to discuss this first.”

The comment earned him a snort. “Of course we should speak about it, why do you think I brought it up?”

Shaking his head, Anders took Fenris’ hand. “This is serious Fenris. A child is a lot of work and love. Our lives won’t be the same with if decide to take this step. There would be a lot we would need to do. We’d have to look into how we are going to get a baby, there are a lot of options of course, and then there’s getting everything ready, baby proofing the house for one.”

“Anders. . .” Fenris laced their fingers together and kissed the back of Anders hand. “I love you but sometimes you are an idiot.” Anders couldn’t help but pout at that. “Do you think I have not done research on this? I am speaking to you know because I am sure, but nothing can happen unless we both wish for this. I know you love children, but you have never spoken of wanting any of your own. . .it is why I. . .why I have not brought it up until now.” 

His heart melted as he looked at how uncertain Fenris seemed. In college Fenris had always been quiet and fairly cold, it wasn’t until they had met up again years later that Anders had learned why. Fenris had grown a lot since then but some things still came hard to him. “I do want children, especially with you. I have today off, why don’t we look up options together and talk about what we both want. We can decide what we want to do from there.” 

Anders loved that happy little smile that Fenris only reserved for him. Leaning over he kissed Fenris deeply. “Let’s finish breakfast and then you can show me what you’ve looked into so far.” 

Fenris nodded but didn’t release his hand. They ate breakfast quietly, enjoying each other’s presence and the lovely day, both of them thinking about what had been brought up.

After breakfast they cleaned up and then Fenris showed Anders all of the research he had done. The amount of information he had collected was quite extensive and it showed Anders just how serious Fenris was about them having a baby. He had even already looked into the pros and cons of every method that was available to them for having a child. 

By the time they had finished it was nearing dinner. Even though the topic had just been brought up today it seemed almost like they had been planning this for awhile and maybe they both had been mentally and emotionally. In the end they both agreed that they would prefer surrogacy over adoption if they could find someone they felt was right to carry a child for them. Anders would look into that more at the hospital over the next few days. They would eventually have to tell their family to. 

Other than Fenris’ sister Varania who lived fairly far away, neither of them had any other biological relatives that they knew of or were close to. Their family consisted of the close group of friends they had both been a part of since college. At the head of their family were Garrett Hawke and Isabela his girlfriend, his siblings Bethany and Carver, then there was Aveline and her husband Donnic, Sebastian, their dwarven friend Varric, and then Merrill who, like Fenris was an elf. They made the oddest family ever, but neither Anders nor Fenris would give them up for anything.

Anders kissed Fenris deeply as they lay together in bed that night. “I love you so much.”

Smiling Fenris returned the kiss and rolled on to Anders. “And I you.” 

The day still felt so surreal to Anders. “This is really happening? We’re really planning on bringing a child into our lives?”

Fenris hummed in agreement and began to kiss down his neck, sucking at the spot just above his right collar bone that always had Anders moaning in pleasure. “We are.”

Wrapping his arms around Fenris; waist Anders nipped at the tip of one of his delicate pointed ears. “I love you so fucking much.” 

“I know,” Fenris said with a laugh that was half a moan. There was no talking after that as they fell into each other. Their love making that night was tender and slow; it left them satisfied in both heart and soul. They slept soundly curled up around each other and thoughts of the future running with little feet through their dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks were a blur as they got in contact with a fertility clinic in order to get tested, and began the process of looking for a surrogate. There were other things to be done of course; their lives didn’t stop just because of this. Instead it became even more hectic.

At one point Fenris had called Varania to let her know what was going on. She was more than thrilled with the idea of being an aunt and had commanded them to contact her as soon as they found a surrogate so that she could prepare being the aunt that spoiled their niece or nephew. 

The conversation had definitely put any nerves that Fenris may have had to rest. It made Anders happy to see his husband so happy.

Before they began meeting with prospective surrogates, they decided to tell the rest of their ‘family’ about the good news. They decided that the usual bi-weekly dinner at Garret’s house was the best place to do so. 

-

“You look fine, you don’t need to fuss.” Anders took Fenris’ hand and kissed the back of it. “There is no reason to be nervous.”

Fenris huffed and snatched his hand back, returning to fixing his hair. “There is no fussing, and I am not nervous.” 

Anders shook his head and pulled his husband against him, leaning down to steal a kiss. “You’re so stubborn; you know Garrett and the others will be ecstatic about the news. No one amongst our group of friends has had kids yet and everyone is dying to have a little one to spoil rotten. They will be just as excited as Varania was.” 

He felt the moment Fenris relaxed, his lover moulding his body against Anders. “You are right.”

“As always.” Anders added helpfully and received a pinch to the side in retaliation. “Ow!” 

“You deserved that one.” Fenris murmured, kissing Anders deeply before pulling away. “We do not wish to be late, or Isabela may start making up stories as to why we were late.”

Laughing Anders grabbed the keys to their car and followed after Fenris. He had no doubt that tonight was going to go great. 

He shouldn’t have been at all surprised when it took three glasses of wine before Fenris was comfortable enough to bring up the subject, and as Anders had anticipated everyone was thrilled. 

“Oh how wonderful!” Merrill was the first to speak, getting up and hugging them both. “Have you found someone yet?”

Anders shook his head, watching as Fenris received a hug from Bethany and Sebastian. “We haven’t started interviewing anyone yet, we wanted to share the news with everyone first.”

“I suppose I’m not too young to be an aunt.” Isabela commented as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You two will make fantastic parents; just make sure to keep on having awesome sex.”

Fenris snorted from behind him. “Our sex lives are not of your concern Isabela.” 

“Maybe not but they are part of my fantasies~” She teased, laughing as Garrett wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. 

“Are you revealing our dirty bedroom secrets Issy?” Despite their flirty ways, Anders could tell that Garrett and Isabela were in love, while he may not understand their relationship that was one thing he did not doubt. 

Grabbing a fistful of Garret’s hair, Isabela yanked his head down for a heated kiss. “I was hoping maybe we could convince them to finally join us for another foursome.” 

Anders chose not to comment on that, instead turning to accept hugs from Aveline, Donnic, Bethany and then Sebastian; all of them murmuring their congratulations. 

“A toast to our good friends as they start the next chapters of their lives!” Varric shouted as he came out of the kitchen with bottles of very fine wine. 

Cheers and more congratulations were shouted as everyone toasted them. Anders looked down at Fenris, at the joy shinning in his eyes with the acceptance they were receiving from their friends, their family really. When they had wed he had made it his vow to always give Fenris a reason to smile, this was just another step in that vow.

“Kiss!” Isabela cheered; echoed by most of their friends. 

Laughing Anders wrapped his arms around Fenris and pulled him into a slow deep kiss. Usually Fenris would have been mollified at the public affection but tonight he wrapped his arms around Anders neck and pulled him closer while their friends cheered around them.


	4. Chapter 4

The process of finding a surrogate proved to be much more difficult that either of them predicted. It wasn’t that they were being picky, although they did want their child to be healthy; the fact of the matter was that they just couldn’t find someone willing to be a surrogate for them. There were two main factors in most of the refusals; the woman wouldn’t do it because they were a same-sex couple or because Fenris was an elf.

Even though they were both trying to keep their spirits up, after going through two dozen interviews over the course of a month, and everyone ending up as a no, their hope was wearing thin.

“Maybe it’s just not meant to be.” Anders said glumly as he downed his third glass of wine. 

They were curled up together on the couch, their computer open with the listing of possible surrogates. They had gone through everyone on the site the fertility doctor had given them of approved surrogates. Every single one that they had chosen had turned them down.

Fenris glared at him and grabbed the bottle away, putting it back in the cabinet, for once not taking any wine for himself. “We are not going to give up. Aren’t you the one who is always saying that we should have hope? We’re going to find someone and we will have the family we have dreamed of.” 

Anders looked up at him, eyes full of sorrow. “Do you think so?”

Smiling Fenris took Anders hand and pulled him to his feet, leading him to their bedroom “Truly. For now let us focus on something more pleasurable, tomorrow we can work on a solution to our problem.”

While a night of passion helped to relax Anders it did not solve their current dilemma. They still had no one willing to be a surrogate for them. When their spirits hit a low point they went to visit Garrett for some advice or at least a pick me up.

It turned out they were not the only ones visiting; Carver and Merrill were there as well. 

“We don’t know what else to do; we’ve looked into everyone that has been approved.” Anders hid his face in his hands. 

Fenris looked just as upset. “We cannot simply pick a stranger off the street though.” 

Garrett nodded in agreement, “You’re right on that. Maybe Varric can help you? He’s got more connections that any man I know. Half the time I’m not even sure what it is he does other than business.” 

“I still think he has ties to the mafia, that man knows too many people and too much about what is going on in the city.” Carver remarked sullenly from the couch, likely upset that Merrill was sitting with them at the table and petting Anders arm in an attempt at comfort. 

The conversation continued on that line, with Hawke promising to see if there was anything he could do, and that he would contact Varric for them. He didn’t want then to have to worry about that on top of everything else.

For once Varric wasn’t able to offer any help though, and they were beginning to give up. If things were not working, if they could not find a surrogate, maybe it wasn’t meant to be? It was beginning to look like their dream was hopeless. That was until Merrill came to them.

“Merrill?” It was Fenris who answered the door when Merrill came to visit, Carver in tow. “What is it that brings you here?”

Merrill smiled kindly at him. “Carver and I would like to speak with you both if that is alright?”

Fenris nodded and invited them in, opening a bottle of wine or them to share. Merrill and Carver sat on the larger couch while Fenris took the seat next to Anders on the loveseat. They waited for Merrill to begin.

“I know I’m not your favourite person, I remember college and I know we still don’t always see eye to eye on some things.” In college Fenris had not cared about whom he dated, when he did date, Merrill had once approached him as her ideal match for a future mate, in order to keep the blood of the elves strong and pure. That had not gone well and for the longest time Fenris had hated Merrill and her constant lectures about only being with other elves. That had changed of course when Merrill had met and fallen in love with Carver. Now it was mostly an amusing memory for the group. 

The comment made Fenris chuckle though. “That was along time ago.” 

Merrill smiled at that before continuing. “Carver and I have spoken at length about this for the last few days. I would like to be a surrogate for you if you would be willing. I know I’m not very big, and I look weak, but I am strong, and I know I can do this for you.” She seemed so determined. “I want to help you because you are my friends and I can see how very much this means to you.” 

“Merrill…” Anders and Fenris shared a look of surprise. Neither of them needed to say anything to know what the other was thinking. “Merrill, we would be honoured if you would carry our child for us.”

Merrill brightened and jumped up, running over to hug them both tightly. “Oh I’m so happy! Your baby will be so beautiful!” 

Even Carver got up to join in on the group hug, though he tried to act as though he didn’t care all that much. 

Fenris and Anders returned the hug, truly appreciating what they were being offered. There was no way that they could ever show Merrill and Carver how grateful they were.


	5. Chapter 5

Of course finding a surrogate didn’t mean things were any easier. There were tests that had to be done one all three of them to judge health and the level of fertility. Fenris and Anders had both gone through this before but did not mind submitting to the tests again. Then came the hard part, deciding who was going to be the biological father. 

“We have a number of options available to you in regards to the surrogacy.” Dr Wynne said with a kind smile. She was of course delighted for them; she had been one of Anders teachers at school and had always been kind to him. It was more than a little embarrassing to Anders that she had seen his naked body and sperm count.

“If you desire two children we can implant a fertilized egg from both of you into your surrogate’s womb. At the same time we could do this with one father now and the other at a later time if you do not wish for twins. There is of course the option of using the sperm from only one of you if you wish for just one child. Another option that is popular for parents who only wish for one child is for a sister or female relative to donate a sperm that is then fertilized by the sperm of the second father. The child would then be related to both of you.” 

She smiled kindly at them, noticing that they were both in deep though. “Of course I don’t expect you to make the decision right away. I know we discussed it only briefly and with the struggle you’ve had to find a surrogate you likely haven’t had much time to discuss it.” 

Opening a drawer she took out a pamphlet and handed it to them. “Here’s the brochure I gave you before, it has all the details you need to know and factors that you may want to consider in making your choice. I don’t expect you to make the choice right away of course. You can call me when you are ready.” 

“Thank you Pro, Dr Wynne.” Anders laughed in embarrassment at the slip up. “We’ve got a lot to think about. Thank you for everything.” 

“You are more than welcome my dear. You are two wonderful young men who deserve to have a family and I am here to help make that possible in anyway that I can.” 

Fenris nodded and smiled, holding his hand out to shake her hand. “Thank you again though.”

“It is my pleasure, truly.” She shook both their hands before shooing them. “Now out, you have more important and I imagine fun things to do than sit in a room with an old bat like me. Go do your homework Anders.” 

Anders laughed at the reminder; he had been a dedicated student but a slightly lazy one. “Yes professor. At least this time I don’t have a due date.” 

“Take all the time you need.” She waved at them as they walked out of the office and down the hall. She was happy for them; Anders had always seemed lonely in school, even surrounded by friends, now it looked like he had found the place he wanted to be most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Researching some of the details has been pretty interesting. Information in this chapter I got from the Center for Surrogate Parenting. 
> 
> Also Wynne, because she is awesome and grandmotherly. Of course it may have been traumatizing for Anders to have her doing his check-up.
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not dead! (Nor are any of my other fics though For Freedom and Love is on a haitus while I figure out what to do with it). I've just been busy and am a really slow writer. Have some nervous Fenris as consolation!

In the end what they agreed on was that they would ask Varania if she would be willing to donate an egg. Fenris didn’t mind not being the biological father and this way their child would share both his and Anders genes and blood. 

Of course the hard part was in asking Varania first. While she had been thrilled with the idea of becoming an aunt, that did not necessarily mean that she would be as willing to be the biological mother to the child. 

Not wanting to talk to her over the phone though, they invited her over for the weekend so that they could talk to her in person. 

Fenris of course was a nervous mess; his history with his sister had not been the best. When they were younger their family had a lot of problems ending with their parents divorcing and each parent taking one of the kids; Varania with their mother and Fenris with their father. Instead of caring for him though, Fenris’ father had pawned him off on his grand father Danarius who had neglected him. Because Fenris’ childhood had not been the best, for a long time he had hated his sister for having the happy life that he had not.

While Varania had experience a fairly normal childhood, however their mother had died just before her eighteenth birthday and she had been forced to survive on her own. The experience had made her bitter, particularly toward her brother whom she assumed lead an easy life. 

Their reunion after years apart had not gone well, with both of them hating the other for good lives neither had actually had. It had taken years from them to actually sit down and talk, over time though they had repaired their broken relationship and now though they didn’t see each other often, they tried to keep in touch on a weekly basis even if there wasn’t much news to share. 

Anders always marvelled at how well Fenris’ relationship with Varania had changed and strengthened in the three years since they had started trying to fix things. He was proud of Fenris for it, knowing that it was often hard for his husband to admit that he was wrong about things. 

Friday saw Fenris cleaning the house from top to bottom, a habit of his when he became nervous. Most of the time he was content to live in an organized mess, but when he began to get agitated in any way he went on a cleaning spree. Anders for the most part stayed out of his way, today though he intervened. 

“The house is spotless love, you however are a mess, go and take a long shower, maybe even a bath, relax, and then come down and join me. Varania isn’t due for another two hours. I’ll make us up something small to snack on, we can open a bottle from this years batch of wine and enjoy ourselves.” Anders held Fenris close, kissing the top of his head. “We can worry about asking her later on in the weekend. For now let’s just enjoy the visit.”  
Melting into Anders arms, Fenris nodded in defeat. “You’re right. . .it’s just, what if she does not wish to?”

Anders hummed, rubbing Fenris’ back. “Then we choose one of the other options, this is just our preferred choice, it isn’t our only choice.” 

Fenris nodded, not looking less nervous. “You’re right . . . I am going to take a shower as you suggested.”

“Take a bubble bath instead and just relax.” Anders pulled Fenris into his arms and kissed his brow. “The more relaxed you are, the easier tonight will go.” 

When Fenris looked like he was about to protest, Anders kissed him deeply. “Go, I will take care of everything else that needs to be ready for Varania’s arrival. I’ll accept no excuses either.” 

Knowing that he was beat on this, Fenris pressed a kiss to Anders cheek and relented. “Very well, but make sure to get me if she arrives early.” 

“I will love.” With a slap to the ass, Anders sent Fenris off to take his bath. There wasn’t much left for him to do around the house, Fenris had made sure everything was perfect, so Anders decided to make some snacks for when Varania did arrive. As good as Fenris was at cleaning, when he wanted to, he was not the best cook. It was one of the reasons why their freezer was packed full of premade foods that Fenris could just re-heat when Anders was working late.

He settled on some finger foods that were easy to heat up but also tasted good cold. Some biscotti for dessert, little bite sized puff pastry sausages, and also some bruschetta, using some of the wine Fenris had made for cooking to flavour it. 

Anders smiled at that; recently Fenris has begun branching out more in what he was making. With help from Isabela, Fenris had built a website for the winery and his business had increased. Having Varric praise and advertise for him via word of mouth hadn’t hurt either. 

Because of that Fenris had begun trying new things with the wine, researching what he could make without requiring too much extra trouble. The cooking wine Anders was currently using was from Fenris’ first batch, it was a little on the vinegary side, but had otherwise come out quite well. Anders had no doubt that the next batch would be excellent. 

Soon enough Anders lost himself in his cooking, when the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house it nearly gave him a heart attack. He glanced up at the clock and realized that while he’d been cooking almost two hours had passed. Which meant that it was likely Varania at the door; Fenris was not going to be happy that Anders had forgotten to remind him of the time. 

Wiping off his hands he headed over to the door, opening it with a smile. “Varania, it’s great to see you again.”

Varania laughed and reached up to give him a hug. “It’s only been a few months, but it’s great to see you to. I don’t see my brother lurking behind you.”

Anders returned the hug. “I sent him to relax in the bath and forgot about him, he’s either deep asleep or he’s drowned himself by now.” 

“Then you had better go and make sure that I still have a living brother and you a husband. I can put all my things in the guest room.” Varania said, patting Anders arm. “I don’t have much anyway.” 

“Alright, call if you need anything though. I shouldn’t be too long.” Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he headed upstairs. It was unusual for Fenris to remain so long in the bath. When he entered their ensuite it was to the sight of Fenris curled up on his side with his head cradled on his arms, fast asleep in the bathroom. 

Given how late Fenris had been up the night before, it didn’t surprise Anders that he’d fallen asleep. Walking over to the tub he shook Fenris gently, noting that the water was starting to cool down. “Time to wake up love, Varania is here.” 

Fenris stirred, green eyes blinking open. “She is? Is she early?” 

Anders laughed nervously. “Uh no, you fell asleep in the bath and I got caught up in my cooking. Better get out and dressed, we’ll wait for you in the living room.” Before Fenris could reply, Anders practically fled the room before Fenris could wake up enough to get irritated with him. He had a guest to see to after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I ever mention that I'm a really slow writer, and tend to take too many fics on at once?

Varania smiled and embraced Fenris as he joined the in the livingroom. “Brother, I’m glad to see that you didn’t in fact drown in the bathtub.” She joked, much to Fenris’ embarrassment.

“Despite Anders best attempt, I am still here.” 

The comment caused Varania to laugh as she kissed him on both cheeks. “I missed you.”

Fenris offered her one of those rare smiles that Anders loved so much. “I missed you as well. Thank you for coming to visit us.”

Varania laughed and took a seat. “It’s not everyday that you both extended an invitation for me to come visit. I almost think that you asked me here because you want something from me.”

Feeling nervous, Fenris looked over at Anders who only smiled and took a seat on the longer couch. “You know we enjoy having you visit. Between Fenris and I, you’re the only biological family we have. We’ve got quite a large adopted family, but it’s nice to be able to see my sister-in-law.”

Licking his lips, Fenris took a seat next to his husband, allowing Anders to do most of the talking. When they went out, or met with friends, that’s how things usually went. Anders was the more sociable of the two, Fenris prefered listening and occasionally making a few comments when he felt the need. 

Varania too was fairly sociable. When Fenders and Anders had introduced her to their group of friends, she had integrated herself into the tight knit circle seamlessly. It was one of the reasons that tomorrow night would see them hosting everyone at their house.

If Varania did agree to donating an egg, Fenris wondered what their child would be like. Both Anders and Varania were talkers, would the baby grow up to be very social? Or would it take after Fenris and be more quiet? Fenris pursed his lips as he tried to imagine it, not realizing he was.

“That’s an awfully sour face for someone who’s excited to see me.” Varania’s voice pulled Fenris out of his thoughts.

Fenris flushed slightly. “Forgive me, I was deep in thought.”

“Oh? What was more important than listening to your husband and I talk about the wonders of stainless steel.” Varania was a nurse at a small hospital in the town she lived in. It was another thing that Anders and Varania had in common, and not for the first time he wondered if they would have been a more compatible match then Fenris and Anders were. 

Anders poked his cheek, making Fenris frown. “What was that for?”

“You’re thinking silly things again aren’t you? Anytime we visit with Varania you get the same look on your face, that ‘they would be better together look’.” Anders stated, Varania nodding in agreement in the background.

“I don’t. . .” Fenris began to protest, only to be interrupted by his sister.

“Yes, you do.” Varania said, coming to Anders defence. “We’ve been through this before; Anders is a nice guy, but I wouldn’t date him if my life depended on it.” 

“Hey!”

“No offence to you,” Varania added after Anders protest, “but I don’t even like guys. I’m a lesbian and you know that.” She finished the sentence off with a waggle of her finger in his direction. “Things are going really great between Cassandra and I. I definitely wouldn’t jeopardize it for you scruffy husband.” 

“Hey! Why are you so mean to meeee.” Anders whine, which draw a chuckle from Fenris. “I think I definitely got the better end of the bargain, when it came to you two.” To emphasize his point, he pulled Fenris into a deep kiss, which had him melting against his husband. 

Fenris saw Varania pull a face from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t care. He only pushed Anders away, when his hands began to wander. “Not in front of my sister.”

“I agree, not in front of his sister.” Varania echoed.

Anders stole one more kiss and a light grope before pulling away. “Definitely the better part of the bargain.” He said again, grinning at Fenris.

Huffing, Fenris turned his attention to his sister. “Will you be bringing Cassandra to meet us at some point?” 

“Maybe next time, I don’t want to overwhelm her. You two are great, but your extended family can be a bit much, and Cassandra is a very private person.” 

Anders laughed at that. “We don’t have to have the gang here to meet her, or we can come and visit you instead. It’s been awhile since we’ve gone anywhere.” 

“It may be awhile more if things go as planned.” Fenris pointed out.

“Ohhhhh?” Varania leaned forward at that, looking very interested. “Does this have to do with your wanting to have a family?” 

Fenris exchanged a glance with Anders, it seemed that now would be the perfect moment to ask Varania if she would be willing to donate an egg to them. Anders and Fenris hadn’t discussed when they would ask her, it was a bit of an unusual topic, and Fenris was nervous that it would cause rift between them.

Anders nodded at him, taking the lead. “We’ve done research on the subject, and met with a doctor in the field. She’s actually one of my old professors. We’re going to go with surrogacy, and our friend Merrill has agreed to carry the child for us.”

“That’s wonderful! When is the big insemination going to happen?” 

“We’re missing one more piece of the puzzle before we can do that.” Anders said, pushing Fenris’ shoulder a little with his own.

Fenris clasped shaking hands between his thighs as he looked his sister in the eye. “There were a variety of options available for us when it came to how to inseminate. We both wish to be biologically related to the child . . . and then only way for that is to have a family relative be involved.” 

He could see the realization slowly creeping into his sister’s face, and before he could chicken out, Fenris forced the words out of his mouth. “We were wondering if you would donate an egg to us, so that we could have a child.” 

There was a tense moment where no one said anything. Varania seemed to be in a state of either shock or dee thought. Fenris felt his palms beginning to sweat as the silence stretched, and he reached over and grabbed one of Anders’ hands for support, receiving an affectionate squeeze. If Varania said no, then they could find another option, but this was the one they both had their hearts set on. 

“Well.” Varania said finally, causing both Fenris and Anders to jump. “I can see your reasoning behind it; Fenris and I are blood related so the baby would be related to Fenris, and Anders would be the biological dad.” 

They both nodded.

Her serious expression suddenly brightened. “Well you had better be prepared because I definitely want to be an aunty! Of course I’ll do it!” She got up and threw herself at Fenris, pulling him into a tight hug. “Did you really think I would say no? It’s not like I’m using them for anything, they just get expelled from my body on a monthly basis in a gush of blood. Better they go to a worthy cause!”

Fenris made a face at that, but any annoyance he felt at her description of his sister’s bodily functions was pushed aside as Anders joined in the hug, and the two began to chatter about how exciting this was all going to be. 

They were going to try and have a baby. This was actually happening. Joy flooded through Fenris and he returned their embrace. “We’re going to try and have a baby.” 

“Yeah, we are.” Anders relied, pulling him close and kissing him deeply, much to Varania’s delight. “We’re going to have a baby.”


	8. Chapter 8

Despite both Fenris and Anders insisting that Varania enjoy her visit, and not worry about donating her eggs until the planned things out more, Varania insisted that they go as soon as they could to the fertility clinic. 

She could be even more stubborn than Fenris when she wanted to. 

The very next day found them in Doctor Wynne’s office again, Varania having called and called until she got an appointment. Of course it was only because another couple had made a last minute cancellation, but that didn’t matter to her. Her brother wanted a baby and she was going to make damn sure that happened as soon as it could. 

Doctor Wynne, Varania was informed, was one of Anders’ old teachers, she smiled at them in amusement as they entered. “You were always eager to get things done when you put your mind to it.” She said with a laugh, Varania decided that she liked her already, especially when it made Anders squawk in indignation. 

“Professor Wynne!”

His protests went ignored, the doctor fixed her gaze on Fenris and Varania. “You must be Fenris’ sister, I can see the similarities in your faces. I take it you’re here to donate an egg for them?”  
Varania grinned, patting her brother on the back. “Of course, my brother and I may not have always gotten along, but I want him to be happy more than anything else, and this is one of the most meaningful ways to do that.” She grinned Fenris. “Besides, now I know that if one day Cassandra and I want to have a baby, I have the perfect sperm donor.” 

Fenris tilted his head to the side, an action that often accompanied deep thought on his part. “You know that I would not hesitate to help you as well.” He agreed, turning to face her. “I wish for your happiness as well.”

Varania enveloped him in a tight hug. “I know. For now let’s focus on your happiness though. Cass and I aren’t even worried about kids yet.” 

“When you are though.” 

“I’ll call you.” Varania says with a laugh, kissing her brother’s nose, causing it to crinkle. “But right now this about you and Anders, and the beautiful baby that you’re going to have!” She turned back to the good doctor. “What is it that I need to do so that I can give these two my eggs?” 

“Now that you've chosen to donate an egg, you will need to begin taking injections of Lupron. Since Anders and Fenris already have a surrogate picked out, we'll be synchronizing both your cycles. Once that ha been done you will get injections of gonadotropin to encourage your body to produce more than one egg for us to cultivate. While all this is happening we will be monitoring you closely with blood tests and ultrasounds." Wynne folded her hands on the desk and gave all three of them a serious look. "I will warn you that this is not without its risks, the monitoring helps us to ensure your ovaries are responsing well and are not going into hyperstimulation." 

Varania frowned, not liking the sound of that. "What is hyperstimulation?" 

"Hyperstimulation is the swelling and pain that may occur in the ovaries due to the hormone injections used during the egg retrieval process. Severe hyperstimulation can cause rapid weight gain, abdominal pain, vomiting and shortness of breath. It is not a common issue, but it does occur and this is one of the reasons why monitoring is so important."

"I'll need to take time off work if I need to come in for monitoring then. Unless I can go to a local doctor or clinic to be monitored." While she still had no plans to back out of helping her brother, Varania was beginning to think she should have done some research into what she would be doing before she'd agreed.

Looking over at Fenris' nervous face, she could tell he was worried that she was going to back out, Varania was still happy that she had agreed. "I have sick leave and vacation leave saved up if need be." She added reaching over and giving Fenris' hand a squeeze.

"If there is a fertility clinic in your city, I don't see any reason why you can't visit there or an associated doctor for monitoring." Wynne told her, "I can arrange all that for you as well once we've found something closer to where you live."

Varania nodded, grinning over at Fenris and Anders. "It may be nice to stay and visit for awhile, and maybe get a little spoiled by my brother and his husband." 

Anders laughed, "As though we don't treat you like a queen when you visit." 

"All the more reason to stay as long as I can." Varania shot back before turning back to Wynne. "So after you stimulate multiple eggs, what happens?"

Wynne continued her explanation. "During this time the surrogate will be developing her endometrial lining, you'll need to make an appointment to see me with her as well. No last minute appointments this time." She told Fenris and Anders before turning back to Varania. "When your eggs are sufficiently developed you will trigger ovulation with an injection of hCG, a hormone also known as human chorionic gonadotropin. Two days afterward we will get you into the office put you under sedation, and retrieve the eggs with the help of an ultrasound." 

"What do you use to get the eggs?" Fenris asked, even without being told, Varania could guess. 

"One of these." Wynne pulled out a large needle and Varania watched him pale. "It is painless, your sister will be asleep and won't feel any discomfort as it is used tranvaginally."

Wisely Fenris didn't ask what that meant. 

When there were no further questions Wynne proceeded with her explanation. "Once the eggs are retrieved they will be fertilized with the partner sperm and then the embryos' will be incubated and graded. Then within the next three days an embryos will be transferred into your surrogate." 

"It sounds like it will be a lengthy process. I think it would be best for me to get some time off of work before we start." Varania told her brother and Anders. "When I do, make an appointment and we'll get started." 

Fenris looked relieved, still thinking that she was going to back out. Smiling Varania wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Don't worry brother, we'll make sure you have your baby."


End file.
